Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that its subsidiary Toyota do Brasil LTDA plans to increase annual Etios vehicle production at its Sorocaba Plant in São Paulo from 74,000 units to 108,000 units.

The increase, which is scheduled to come into effect at the beginning of 2016, is aimed to meet increased demand for the vehicle series in Brazil, and will involve additional investment of around 100 million Brazilian real. Toyota will fully utilize its lean manufacturing expertise to ensure an optimal return on the investment through rigorous process innovation and highly efficient utilization of existing plant facilities, according to the automaker.

At the time of its launch in Brazil, in September 2012, Etios sales ranged between 2,000 and 3,000 units per month. Constant improvements were made to the Etios series in response to customer feedback including new seat upholstery and seat height adjusters and the lineup was further enhanced in November 2013 with the addition of the Etios Cross crossover vehicle. Customer convenience is also being enhanced with, for example, the planned establishment of a total of 54 new dealerships and satellite stores during the 2014 fiscal year (April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015) to improve access to after-service. As a result of such efforts, monthly sales have now reached between 6,000 and 7,000 units, according to the automaker.